Information provided to parent regarding a called for child protection

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure describes a system, method, and computer readable medium for providing information of a calling party to an alert party, wherein the calling party is in communication with the receiving party in a communications network. The method includes receiving a message from a calling party to a receiving party and performing a lookup of information relating to the calling party in a database, wherein the lookup is based on an identifier associated with the message, Thereafter, an alert is sent to the alert party if the calling party information is unavailable in a contact list of the receiving party.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure is generally related to a communications network,and more particularly to a system, method, and computer readable mediumfor providing information of a calling party to an alert party, whereinthe calling party is in communication with the receiving party in acommunications network.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Automatic Number Identification (ANI) is a system utilized by telephonecompanies to identify the Directory Number (DN) of a calling subscriber.ANI serves a function similar to Caller ID, but may utilize differentunderlying technology. It is possible that the Caller ID can be blockedby prefixing a call with *67, for example. ANI was originally developedfor telephone company billing purposes and is now offered to commercialcustomers who may benefit from knowing who is calling them. In addition,ANI is one of the core technologies behind the 911 emergency services.

In commercial applications, a user may have an integrated or extraneousdisplay affixed to a telephone. Such a display presents the ANI ortelephone number of the calling party. In addition, the display maypresent the caller's name or calling name, also known as CNAM. Thecalling party may call or send a message such as a Short MessagingService (SMS) to a called or a receiving party. The receiving party mayreceive a call or a message from the calling party that may not be in acontact list of the receiving party. It may be possible that the callingparty may be an unrecognized caller. As such, a need exists to send analert to an alert party if the calling party information is unavailableor unrecognized in a contact list of the receiving party. In anotherembodiment, an alert can be sent to the alert party for every call.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure describes a method for providing an alert to analert party in a communications network. The method includes receiving amessage from a calling party to a receiving party and performing alookup of information relating to the calling party in a database. Thelookup is based on an identifier associated with the message.Thereafter, an alert is sent to the alert party when the calling partyinformation is unavailable in a contact list of the receiving party. Inanother embodiment, an alert can be sent to the alert party for everycall.

A system for informing an alert to an alert party in a communicationsnetwork, the system including at least one device for receiving amessage from a calling party and at least one database for storinginformation associated with the calling party. The at least one deviceis operable to perform a lookup of information relating to the callingparty in a database via an Internet Protocol connection. The lookup isbased on an identifier associated with the message. Thereafter, send analert to the alert party if the calling party information is unavailablein a contact list of the receiving party.

A computer-readable medium comprising instructions executable by adevice for alerting the information provided to a receiving party in acommunications network, the instructions including receiving a messagefrom a calling party and performing a lookup of information relating tothe calling party in a database via an Internet Protocol connection. Thelookup is based on an identifier associated with the message.Thereafter, an alert is sent to the alert party if the calling partyinformation is unavailable in a contact list of the receiving party.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a system 100 for viewing communication between variousparties in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 depicts a flowchart of a method or computer readable mediumcomprising instructions for providing an alert to an alert party inaccordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 3 depicts a flowchart of a process (which includes a method orcomputer readable medium comprising instructions) for checking whetherthe receiving party is a paid subscriber of the service in accordancewith an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 depicts a system 400 for viewing communication between variousparties in a wireless communication medium in accordance with oneembodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart of a method or computer readable mediumcomprising instructions for providing an alert to an alert party in awireless communication medium in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure provides information of a calling party to analert party, wherein the calling party is in communication with thereceiving party in a communications network. In the context of thepresent disclosure, the calling party is a party initiating or sending amessage and a receiving party is a party receiving the message. Such aprocess is initiated when the sending party contacts the receivingparty, wherein the sending party and the receiving party each use atleast one electronic device and the receiving party is able to receivean ANI or a Caller ID service and is able to display and/or play relatedinformation. Thereafter, an alert is sent to an alert party for viewingthe message and other information regarding the calling party if thecalling party information is unavailable or unrecognized in a contactlist of the receiving party. The message comprises a text message, acall or a multimedia message. The at least one electronic device can bea computer, a server, a wireless phone, an Internet Protocol (IP)enabled phone, a wireless IP-enabled phone, or a device that can receiveand/or transmit information. The computer readable medium (or software)of the present disclosure is stored on and/or runs on at least one ofthe above-mentioned electronic devices.

FIG. 1 depicts a system 100 for viewing communication between variousparties in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thesystem 100 includes a device 102 that is able to send information to acalled party device 104, hereafter referred to as receiving party device104. The receiving party device 104 may be communicably coupled to thedevice 102 via a wired connection or a wireless connection such as aland line telephone or a wireless device including but not limited to acellular device, a Wi-Fi connection, a PDA, a Bluetooth, etc. The device102 may be communicably coupled but not limited to a RJ11 (telephonewire) communication address 106 and/or an RJ11/wireless communicationaddress 130. The device 102 can specify any communication address suchas 106, 120, and 130 to receive information. The device 102 includes adisplay 108 for displaying information. In this embodiment, the display108 is integrated within the device 102. However, the display 108 may beimplemented as a standalone device without departing from the spirit andscope of the present disclosure. Further, the device 102 may beconnected to one or more displays via a wired and/or wirelessconnection.

In addition, the device 102 may receive information from a plurality ofsources including but not limited to a communications network such as apublic switched telephone network (PSTN), code division multiple access(CDMA), a global system for mobile communication (GSM). For example, thepublic switched telephone network (PSTN) 110 that includes a centraloffice 112 coupled to a calling party device 114, hereafter referred toas the sending party device 114, and an alert party device 132. Theinformation may be received via at least the RJ11 communication address106 of the device 102. Other sources include a wireless network or datanetwork (not shown) supporting other devices such as a computer or IPenabled phones. Generally, information received by device 102 mayinclude telephone numbers of the sending party and the receiving party.However, various aspects of the present invention authenticate theinformation provided to receiving parties.

Aspects of the present disclosure provide information to receivingparties, such as the receiving party device 104, by providing an abilityto retrieve information of a sending party from a CNAM database 116and/or another database 118. The CNAM database 116 and the otherdatabase 118 comprise information relating to the sending party, forexample, sending party name, telephone number, messages, location, andother information associated with the sending party. In addition, theinformation relating to the sending party may be a city, a state, anaddress, a hyperlink, a photo, a video, and any information that can besent via an Internet Protocol (IP) connection. The device 102communicates with the CNAM database 116 and/or the other database 118via an IP connection.

When a sending party sends a message using the sending party device 114,the device 102 receives a caller ID, Automatic Number Identification(ANI) or other identifier of the sending party. An example of theidentifier may include an IP address of the sending party device 114 ora unique identifier of the sending party that can be received andtransmitted by the sending party device 114. The identifier may includeinformation related to at least one of a sending party and a receivingparty.

According to certain aspects, upon receiving the caller ID, ANI or otheridentifier, the device 102 looks up a local list or a contact list ofthe receiving party device to check whether the sending party device 114detail is already available in the receiving party device 104. If device102 finds the sending party device 114 is listed in the contact list,device 102 starts receiving the communication from device 114. If device102 fails to find the sending party device 114 listed in the contactlist of receiving party device, the device 102 sends a query for thesending party name to the CNAM database 116 and/or the other database118. The query may be sent via at least one communication address suchas 120, 106, and 130 (the communication address may include but notlimited to a wired communication and/or a wireless communication such asa cellular device, a Wi-Fi connection, a PDA, a Bluetooth connection, orthe like) of the device 102 to the CNAM database 116 and/or the otherdatabase 118 via a direct connection or via a data network (not shown).Once the query is received, a lookup is performed in the CNAM database116 and/or the other database 118 for the sending party name and otherinformation relating to sending party. If the sending party name isunavailable in the contact list of the receiving party, the informationof the sending party is shared with an alert party device 132. Forexample, if a new person contacts the receiving party whose informationis not stored in the receiving party device. A lookup may be performedfor information relating to the calling party in a database, wherein thelookup is based on an identifier associated with the message. Thecalling party information such as at least a number, name, geographicallocation etc is then sent to the alert party device alerting that anunrecognized party is communicating with the receiving party. The alertparty may be able to view the message and other details of the callingparty. This aspect of the invention may be most helpful when anunrecognized number is trying to communicate with a child and theinformation of the unrecognized number may be sent to a parent to alertsuch communication.

In an embodiment of the invention, the device 102 may send an alert tothe alert party device 132 for authorizing the message so thatcommunication may be established between the calling party device andthe receiving party device. The alert may include the message that isreceived at the receiving party device 104 and the information receivedfrom the CNAM database 116 and/or the other database 118. The alertparty device 132 may review the message and the information and approveor decline the authorization by sending an authorization code to thereceiving party device. In an embodiment of the invention, the alertparty device 132 may authorize the message and the information bysending a message to the device 102. In an embodiment of the invention,the information is presented by displaying on the device 104 orreceiving party device 104. In another embodiment of the invention, theinformation is presented as audio. In other case, if the message and theinformation are not recognized by the alert party device then theinformation and message are suppressed and not presented on the device102 or the receiving party device 104. Further, in this case the messageand the information may be deleted and the sending party may be blockedfrom sending message or communicating with the receiving party. Forexample, the receiving party may be a child and the authorizing partymay be the parent of the child. Therefore, when the child receives amessage from a sending party that is not known or details of the sendingparty is not in available or stored in the child's communication device,then the message and the information obtained from the databases aresent to the parents for authorization. The message and the informationmay then be displayed to the child if the parents allow communicationbetween the sending party. In an embodiment of the invention, the parentmay delete the message or even block the sending party for furthercommunication with the child. As a result, the child is protected fromreceiving unwanted messages.

According to certain aspects, upon viewing the message and theinformation, the alert party may manually communicate with the receivingparty of the decision to authorize or deny the receiving party fromreceiving further communications from the sending party. It should beappreciated that, according to certain aspects, the authorizing party orthe parent may communicate the decision using electronic means such asphone or email or in person.

According to certain aspects, the alert party may consult with thereceiving party to find out the identity of the sending party andauthorize or deny further communications with the sending party based onthe consultation.

In addition to displaying/playing the information, the device 102 maysend the information to other receiving party devices, such as thecalling party devices 104, 122, and 126, to be contemporaneouslydisplayed on displays 109, 124, and 128 respectively. In this example,the displays 109, 124, and 128 are implemented as standalone devices. Inother embodiments, the displays 109, 124, and 128 can be communicablycoupled to the calling party devices 104, 122, and 126 or may beintegrated with the calling party devices 104, 122 and 126 withoutdeparting the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. For example,the display 128 may be integrated as part of the calling party device126 and the device 102 may send information directly to the callingparty device 126 to be displayed on the display 128. The information maybe sent from at least one communication address such as 106, 120, 130 ofdevice 102 or via the wireless connection 130. Similarly, the device 102may send information directly to the calling party device 122 to beplayed as an audio.

In an embodiment, optionally, prior to performing the lookup of thesending party name, the device 102 may send at least a query to the CNAMdatabase 116 or the other database 118 via an IP connection to perform alookup of the receiving number in the database. The CNAM database 116 orthe other database 118 determines if the subscriber of the receivingnumber is a paid subscriber. To determine whether the subscriber is apaid subscriber, the CNAM database 116 or the other database 118 maysend information of the receiving number, including, the receiving partyname, a credit card number, or a zipcode, to another database forverification. If the verification is acceptable, the CNAM database 116or the other database 118 then returns the sending party name and otherinformation associated with the sending party to the device 102.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the device 102 may determineif a software download is necessary on the device 102. For example, thedevice 102 may determine that a software download is necessary in orderto obtain sending party information based on the caller ID, ANI or otheridentifier. The device 102 may initiate the software download eitherdirectly from a Web database or via a network, such as the Internet.Alternatively, if the software for obtaining sending party informationis already stored on the device 102, no software download may benecessary.

After the software is downloaded or stored on the device 102, the device102 recognizes the caller ID, ANI or other identifier of the sendingparty from the sending party device 114. The caller ID, ANI or otheridentifier of the sending party may comprise a 10 digit number, such asa telephone number. In response to recognizing the caller ID or otheridentifier of the sending party, the device 102 sends the caller ID oridentifier of the sending party to the CNAM database 116 or the otherdatabase 118 to perform a lookup of the sending number.

The information received at the device 102 may include number(s) thatindicates the sender's phone number, as well as the sender's name, city,and/or state. In addition, the information includes, for example, alertsin response to an occurrence of an event, informative and promotionalinformation from a service provider, and situational information from anemergency service provider. Furthermore, the information may includeinformation relating to the sending party, such as an address, ahyperlink, a photo, a video, and any information that can be sent via anInternet Protocol connection.

An example of alerts in response to an occurrence of an event mayinvolve a child (receiving party) who has ordered a refill ofprescription from a pharmacy. When the prescription is ready for pickup,the pharmacy may send a message to the device 102. The CNAM database 116or the other database 118 may return a message to the device 102intended for the receiving party. The message may indicate that theprescription is ready for pickup in addition to the pharmacy's name andtelephone number. Also, the message may include helpful informationincluding directions to the pharmacy, operating hours of the pharmacy,allergic reactions to the prescription, web sites for additionalinformation about the prescription and/or the affliction theprescription is intending to solve, links to such web sites that can beaccessed directly from one or more of the displays, and coupons or codesfor use with the prescription and/or for other items in the pharmacythat can be used in person and/or on-line. The number or other detailsof the pharmacy may not be stored or available in the child'scommunication device contact list and if so, a message may be send tothe parent communication device (alert party) along with the informationof the pharmacy and other details of the pharmacy. The parent may beable to view the message receive by the child.

An example of informative and promotional information from a serviceprovider may involve a receiving party who is subscribed to televisioncable service from a cable company. The cable company may send a messageupon issuance of a new bill to the device 102. The CNAM database 116 orthe other database 118 may return a message to the device 102 intendedfor the receiving party. The message may indicate that a bill is readyfor review in addition to the company's name and telephone number. Inaddition, the message may include promotional information, such astelevision shows that are scheduled for the evening or movies ready fororder by the receiving party.

An example of situational information from a service provider mayinvolve a tornado that is heading towards a receiving party. Theemergency service provider, such as the police or fire department, maysend a message to the device 102 which may be located at the receivingparty's residence. The CNAM database 116 or the other database 118 mayreturn an emergency message to the device 102 intended for the receivingparty. The message may indicate that a tornado is heading towards theresidence in addition to the emergency service provider's name andtelephone number. Also, the message may include the location and speedof the tornado based on the latest data and directions to nearby tornadoshelters or other information related to the event.

In addition, if the information associated with the sending party,including sending name, is changed in the CNAM database 116 or the otherdatabase 118, the device 102 may send a query for updated informationassociated with the sending number to CNAM database 116 or otherdatabase 118. Continuing with the prescription example, the device 102may recognize that a reorder of the prescription is necessary based onthe information stored in the device 102. The device 102 may send aquery to CNAM database 116 or the other database 118 for the updatedsender's number, name, city, state, or other information such that thereceiving party may use the updated information as well as the reminderin the message to reorder the prescription.

Another example of updated information associated with the sendingnumber may involve the change of city and/or state of the sending numberin the CNAM database 116 or the other database 118. The device 102 maysend a query for the updated city and/or state associated with thesending number to the CNAM database 116 or the other database 118. TheCNAM database 116 or the other database 118 may return the updatedinformation associated with the sending number to the device 102.

Alternative to sending a query in response to a change of information,the device 102 may perform a periodic update of sending information fromthe CNAM database 116 or the other database 118. For example, the device102 may perform an update of sending information associated with thesending number by sending a query to the database hourly, daily, weekly,bi-weekly, monthly, yearly, or after any predefined period of time.

Although the device 102 is shown separate from the receiving partydevice 104, a person skilled in the art will appreciate that they can beco-located. Moreover, the receiving party device 104 may include all thefunctionalities of the device 102, without departing from the scope ofthis invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, a flowchart of a method or computer readable mediumcomprising instructions for providing an alert to an alert party inaccordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. In thisexample, process 200 may be implemented as instructions executing withinthe device 102. The process 200 begins at step 202, when a sending partysends a message to the receiving party. The message may include a callerID, ANI or other identifier of the sending party. The ANI or identifiermay be received at least one communication address such as 106, 120, 130of device 102. Thereafter, at step 204, the device 102 queries the CNAMdatabase 116 or the other database 118 for the sending party informationbased on the caller ID, ANI or identifier. According to certain aspects,upon receiving the caller ID, ANI or other identifier, the device 102looks up a local list of or the contact list of the receiving party todetermine if the sending party device 114 detail is already present inthe receiving party device 104. If device 102 finds the sending partydevice 114 is listed in the contact list of the receiving party, device102 starts receiving the communication from device 114. The device 102queries the CNAM database only if device 102 fails to find the sendingparty device 114 listed in the contact list of the receiving party. Thequery may be sent via at least one communication address 106, 120, 130of the device 102. At step 206, the device 102 may send the message andthe information to an alert party 132. Thereafter, the alert party maybe able to view the information and other details of the calling party.

Referring to FIG. 3, a flowchart of a process 300 (which includes amethod or computer readable medium comprising instructions) for checkingwhether the receiving party is a paid/authorized subscriber of theservice is depicted, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The process 300 begins at step 302, with receiving thecaller ID or identifier of the sending party at the device 102. Theidentifier includes the number of at least one of a sending party and areceiving party. Next, the process 300 continues to step 304 to querythe CNAM database or the other database of the receiving number via anInternet protocol connection. The process 300 then continues to step 306to determine if the subscriber of the receiving number is a payingsubscriber. This step may be accomplished by sending information of thereceiving number to another database or website for verification. If thesubscriber is not a paying customer, the process 300 terminates.

In case, the subscriber is a paid customer, then the process 300continues to step 308 to initiate software download either directly froma database or via the Internet. Thereafter, the process 300 continues tostep 310 to recognize the ANI or identifier of the sending party anddelivering the ANI to the device 102. The process 300 then continues tostep 312 to query the CNAM database or other database for informationassociated with the calling number via an Internet protocol connection.Examples of information include the caller's number, name, city, state,an address, a text, a video, a hyperlink, or any other information thatmay be sent via the Internet protocol connection. Subsequently, at step314 the sending party information may be presented.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the device 102 may determineif a software download is necessary on the device 102. For example, thedevice 102 may determine that the software download is necessary inorder to obtain sending party information based on the caller ID, ANI orother identifier. The device 102 may initiate the software downloadeither directly from a Web database or via a address, such as theInternet. Alternatively, if the software for obtaining sending partyinformation is already stored on the device 102, no software downloadmay be necessary. For example, the process 300 then continues todetermine if the subscriber of the receiving number is a payingsubscriber. This step may be accomplished by sending information of thereceiving number to another database or website for verification.

Referring to FIG. 4, a system 400 for providing communication betweenvarious parties via a wireless communication medium in accordance withan alternative embodiment of the present disclosure. System 400 issimilar to system 100 in FIG. 1, except that device 102 is implementedas a wireless communication enabled device. Device 102 is beingimplemented as a mobile phone 402, a smart phone 404, or a PersonalDigital Assistant (PDA) 406. In an embodiment of the invention, thesoftware of device 102 is implemented on receiving party devices such asthe mobile phone 402, the smart phone 404, or the PDA 406. To send andreceive information to and from the CNAM database 116 or other database118, one or more of mobile devices 402, 404, and 406 can wirelesslycommunicate with a service provider site 408, which is also communicablycoupled to the CNAM database 116 and the other databases 118 via a datanetwork (not shown) and the calling party device(s) 114 (here afterreferred to as sending party device(s) 114) via the PSTN 110. Thesending party device 114 can be, but not limited to, a mobile phone, asmart phone, a PDA, a landline and so forth.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, aspects ofthe present disclosure are provided within the receiving party devices.Thus, when a sending party sends a message using the sending partydevice 114, the mobile device receives a caller ID, Automatic NumberIdentification (ANI) or other identifier of the sending party. Anexample of the identifier may include an IP address of the sending partydevice 114 or a unique identifier of the sending party that can bereceived and transmitted by the sending party device 114. The identifiermay include information related to at least one of a sending party and areceiving party.

According to certain aspects, upon receiving the caller ID, ANI or otheridentifier, the mobile device 402 looks up a local list or a contractlist of the receiving party to check if the sending party device 114information is already available in the mobile device 402. If the mobiledevice 402 finds the sending party device 114 listed at least in acontact list, mobile device 402 starts communicating with the sendingdevice 114. If mobile device 402 fails to find the sending party device114 listed in at least the contact list of the receiving party, themobile device 402 sends a query for the sending party name to the CNAMdatabase 116 and/or the other database 118. The query may be sentwirelessly from the receiving party device to the CNAM database 116and/or the other database 118 via a direct connection or via a datanetwork (not shown). Once the query is received, a lookup is performedin the CNAM database 116 and/or the other database 118 for the sendingparty name and other information. If the sending party name or otherinformation is new or if the sending party information is unavailable orunrecognized by the contact list of the receiving party, the informationof the sending party may be shared with an alert party device 132. Theinformation received after the query is generated is shared with thealert party device 132. The alert party may receive an alert. The alertparty may be able to view the message and other information regardingthe calling party. The alert may include the message that is received atthe receiving party device and the information received from the CNAMdatabase 116 and/or the other database 118. In an embodiment the alertparty device 132 may review the message and the information and provideor decline the communication between the calling party and receivingparty.

In certain aspects, the authorizing party may consult with the receivingparty in order to take a decision of authorization. In an embodiment ofthe invention, the alert party device 132 may authorize the message andthe information by sending a message to the receiving party device. Incase, the message and the information are authorized, then they arepresented on the receiving party device. In an embodiment of theinvention, the information is presented as audio. In other case, if themessage and the information are not authorized or the authorization isdeclined then the information and message are suppressed and notpresented on the receiving party device. Further, in this case themessage and the information may be deleted and the sending party may beblocked from sending message or communicating with the receiving party.For example, the receiving party can be a child and the alert party maybe the parents of the child. Therefore, when the child receives amessage from a sending party that is not known, then the message and theinformation obtained from the databases are sent to the parents forauthorization. The message and the information may then be displayed tothe child if the parent authorizes the sending party. According tocertain aspect of the invention, the parent may delete the message oreven block the sending party for further communication with the child.As a result, the child is protected from receiving unwanted messages.

Referring to FIG. 5, a flowchart of a method or computer readable mediumcomprising instructions for providing an alert to an alert party inaccordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. In thisexample, process 500 may be implemented as instructions executing withinthe wireless receiving device 402. The process 500 begins at step 502,when a sending party sends a message to the wireless receiving party.The message may include a caller ID, ANI or other identifier of thesending party. The ANI or identifier may be received wirelessly at thereceiving party device 402.

According to certain aspects, upon receiving the caller ID, ANI or otheridentifier, the receiving party device 402 looks up a local list ofcontacts to check if the sending party information is already present inthe receiving party device 402. If device 402 finds the sending partydevice information, device 402 starts receiving the communication fromthe sending party device. If device 402 fails to find the sending partydevice listed in the list of contacts, the receiving party device 402queries the CNAM database 116 or the other database 118 for the sendingparty information based on the caller ID, ANI or identifier. The querymay be sent wirelessly from the receiving party device 402. At step 506,the receiving party device 402 may send the message and the informationto the alert party 132. Thereafter, the alert party may be able to viewthe information and other details of the calling party.

Although an exemplary embodiment of the system, method, and computerreadable medium of the present disclosure has been illustrated in theaccompanied drawings and described in the foregoing detaileddescription, it will be understood that the invention is not limited tothe embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements,modifications, and substitutions without departing from the spirit andscope of the present disclosure as set forth and defined by thefollowing claims. For example, a greater or lesser numbers of elements,modules, hardware, software, and/or firmware can be used to provideinformation delivery without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure. Also, the device 102 may be a wireless mobile phone,a personal digital assistant, a cellular phone, an IP-enabled caller IDdevice, or a wired telephone that has IP communication capabilities.Further, the device 102 may include a memory (not shown) and a processor(not shown) to execute the process or the instructions. The memory maybe for example, a Read Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM),a disc media or any other computer readable medium comprisinginstruction executable by the processor.

The embodiments of the invention are described above with reference toblock diagrams and schematic illustrations of methods and systemsaccording to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood thateach block of the diagrams and combinations of blocks in the diagramscan be implemented by computer program instructions. These computerprogram instructions can be loaded onto one or more general purposecomputers, or other programmable data processing apparatus to producemachines, such that the instructions which execute on the computers orother programmable data processing apparatus create means forimplementing the functions specified in the block or blocks. Suchcomputer program instructions can also be stored in a computer-readablememory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processingapparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructionsstored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufactureincluding instruction means that implement the function specified in theblock or blocks.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: receiving a messagecomprising text information from a calling party at a receiving party;and determining whether to authorize the message to be received by thereceiving party, when at least one of the message and the textinformation are not recognized by the receiving party; wherein an optionis provided to an alert party to delete the message, a command to deletethe message and the text information is received, and the message andthe text information, are deleted.
 2. The method of claim 1, comprisingsending an alert comprising the text information of the message to thealert party when information related to the calling party is unavailablein a database and performing a lookup of the information relating to thecalling party in the database, wherein the performing comprises: sendinga query with an identifier to the database, the identifier received inthe message; determining if the identifier is located in the database;and receiving information associated with the calling party when theidentifier is located in the database.
 3. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising permitting the alert party to view the message and the textinformation regarding the calling party if the calling party informationis unavailable in a contact list of the receiving party.
 4. The methodof claim 1, wherein the alert further comprises a name and a number ofthe calling party.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein sending an alert tothe alert party comprises displaying the information along with otherdetails of the calling party on a device of the alert party.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein if the calling party is available in areceiving party contact list, displaying the message on a device of thereceiving party.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein if the calling partyis available in a receiving party contact list, playing an audio of themessage on a device of the receiving party.
 8. The method of claim 1,comprising receiving the alert and reviewing the message to determinewhether to authorize the message to be received by the receiving party.9. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises at least one ofa text message and a multimedia message.
 10. The method of claim 1,wherein the information relating to the calling party comprises at leastone of a telephone number of the calling party, a name, a city, a state,an address, a photo, a video, a text, and a hyperlink that can be sentvia an Internet protocol connection.
 11. A system, comprising: at leastone device of a receiving party that receives a message from a callingparty comprising text information; wherein an alert party is furtheroperable to determine whether to authorize the message to be received bythe receiving party, if the message and the text information are notrecognized by the device of the receiving party; wherein the at leastone device is operable to provide an option to the alert party to deletethe message, receive a command to delete the message and theinformation; and delete the message and the information.
 12. The systemof claim 11, further comprising at least one database that storesinformation associated with the calling party, wherein the at least onedevice is operable to perform the lookup of the information relating tothe calling party in the at least one database, wherein the performcomprises: send a query with an identifier to the database, theidentifier received in the message; determine if the identifier islocated in the database; and receive information associated with thecalling party if the identifier is located in the database.
 13. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein the at least one device is operable to sendan alert comprising the text information of the message to the alertparty when the calling party information is determined to beunavailable, wherein the alert party is further operable to: suppressthe message and the information associated with the calling party; andpresent the message and the text information to the receiving partyafter authorization.
 14. The system of claim 11, wherein if the callingparty is available in a receiving party contact list, the message isdisplayed on the device of the receiving party.
 15. The system of claim11, wherein if the calling party is available in a receiving partycontact list, an audio of the message is played on the device of thereceiving party.
 16. The system of claim 11, wherein the alert party isfurther operable to receive the alert and review the message todetermine whether to authorize the message to be received by thereceiving party.
 17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumcomprising instructions executable by a processor that cause theprocessor to perform: receiving a message from a calling partycomprising text information; and determining whether to authorize themessage to be received by the receiving party, when at least one of themessage and the text information are not recognized by the receivingparty; wherein an option is provided to an alert party to delete themessage, a command to delete the message and the text information isreceived, and the message and the text information, are deleted.
 18. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein theprocessor is further configured to perform: informing the alert partywhen the calling party information is unavailable in the receivingparty; suppressing the message and the information of the calling party;and presenting the message and information to the alert party.
 19. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein theprocessor is further configured to perform sending an alert comprisingthe text information of the message to the alert party if the callingparty information is unavailable in a database, wherein a lookup of theinformation relating to the calling party in the database comprises:sending a query with an identifier to the database, the identifierreceived in the message; determining if the identifier is located in thedatabase; and receiving information associated with the calling party ifthe identifier is located in the database.
 20. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the processor isfurther configured to perform displaying the message on a device of thereceiving party if the calling party information is present in a contactlist of the receiving party.